Abu Dhabi Investors

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority has acquired Australia’s largest hotels owner, Tourism Asset Holdings, for $740 million - adding 31 properties to its real estate portfolio.

The portfolio is and will continue to be operated by Accor and includes hotel brands such as Pullman, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, Ibis Styles and Ibis Budget. The transaction was valued at about $740 million, the Australian newspaper and the Australian Financial Review newspapers reported.

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code BD43.

More details follows

Abu Dhabi and Qatar Sovereign wealth funds are front-runners to acquire 42 U.K.-based Marriott hotels for around $1 billion USD - the Wall Street Journal is reporting.

Press reports Sunday said the Qatar Investment Authority, which is working on a deal with Blue Coast, an Indian hotels chain, had outbid the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, but that the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority believed it could execute the deal more quickly. The auction, which has been running for several months, is expected to conclude in the coming weeks.

Qatar Investment Authority is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code BD44. ADIA is listed with the code BD43.

Abu Dhabi-based private equity firm Gulf Capital is in the final stage of acquiring close to 80 per cent of regional consultancy firm Reach Group - Reuters is reporting.

The deal may be valued at around $27 million (Dh100 million), according to the source. Gulf Capital will be closing the transaction during the first quarter this year through its $533 million Private Equity Fund II, one of the sources said.

Gulf Capital is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code OR26.

More details follows from Reuters

Abu Dhabi based Gulf Capital, an alternative asset management firm, announced the launch of a new regional credit business that will focus on providing liquidity for regional companies and acquisition finance for private equity firms in the Middle East and Turkey.

Unlike traditional asset-based lenders, the financing provided could be based on the cash flows generated by the borrower. It will be launched by the end of the year following the regulators' approval.

Gulf Capital is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code OR26.

More details follows:

Zynga Inc, the biggest maker of online games for Facebook, was sued by an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm that claims it is being denied the chance to purchase a stake in the company - the Bloomberg is reporting.

Alpha Investment has a contract to buy one million shares of closely held Zynga from Andrew Trader, a former executive at the gamemaker, Alpha claimed in a complaint filed in Delaware Chancery Court in Wilmington.

To see a listing of Middle East investors similar to Abu Dhabi Alpha Investments, check our Middle East Investors Directory

More details from the Bloomberg follows

Abu Dhabi investment firm Mubadala will acquire the remaining 49 percent of a property joint venture it formed with US developer John Buck and will integrate the company into its existing real estate businesses.

Mubadala owns 24.9 percent of the parent company "John Buck Company", a property investment, development and management firm based in Chicago.

Mubadala is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code EM14.

More details follows from Arabian Business and CNBC

Mubadala Development Company, the investment arm of Abu Dhabi acquired a 9% stake in Raine Group, a boutique merchant bank, as they seek to capitalize on emerging investment opportunities in the media, entertainment and sports ("MES") sectors around the world.

Raine has also secured exclusive relationships with William Morris Endeavor ("WME"), an entertainment agency. In addition to Mubadala and WME, Raine’s investors also include private equity pioneer Ted Forstmann. Abu Dhabi and Mubadala could help to shape the sports and entertainment sectors as the industry continues to change and grow through new technologies and geographies.

Mubadala is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code EM14.

Their full release follows

Invest AD, the Abu Dhabi based investment firm, is seeking to raise $325 million from third-party investors for a $400 million private equity fund that will invest in North Africa and the Middle East (MENA) - the Reuters is reporting.

Invest AD, which has seed capital of $75 million from the Abu Dhabi government for its second MENA fund, hopes to achieve a first closing of at least $200 million. As we reported before, it has already invested 75 million in Turkish logistics firm EKOL which will be injected into the new PE fund.

Invest AD is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code BD46.

Check the Reuters story below